Western Canada cold blast slows CN Rail freight

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian National Railway, the
country's biggest rail carrier, said on Tuesday it had
temporarily cut back freight operations in Western Canada
because of extreme cold and wind.

"The health and safety of our employees and the security of
our customers' shipments are CN's top priority. After carefully
evaluating the situation in Western Canada, we have determined
that modifying our freight operations is the most prudent
course of action for all our stakeholders," CN Chief Executive
Hunter Harrison said in a statement.

CN expects reduced freight operations for up to 36 hours.
Customers should expect delayed transit times for shipments, CN
said, adding it will regularly update clients on the status of
its operations.

Canada's Prairie region is struggling with a bitter cold
snap that has seen temperatures in some areas fall as low as
-40 Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit) -- feeling even colder when the
wind chill is factored in.

The deep freeze -- accompanied by blowing snow in some
regions -- has made driving treacherous, prompted school
closures and halted some oil and gas production. The cold snap
is expected to last another four days.